I KNEEEEEEEW IT!! I knew that as soon as Dolly commented on this whole thing she’d be understanding, kind, careful with her words, and careful to protect another artist. The response from Dolly’s fans was kind of ridiculous. I understand that the language used was inappropriate….but Elle King was the very last performer and it was the second showing. It started at 9:00PM. If you have tiny children whose ears & psyche can’t handle a couple of bad words….at a loud concert at midnight, you might not want to draw too much attention to your patenting skills. I’m all for having kids at concerts…but with appropriate ear protection, and at appropriate times. I’m a huge Elle King fan, so I know what to expect from her onstage. I know what language I’m going to hear, and what behavior to expect. HOWEVER, after 2 crushing miscarriages, finally giving birth to her healthy son, Lucky….breastfeeding, and 2 years of incredibly crushing postpartum depression, she has finally learned how to focus on her own mental & physical health & wellness. She lost over 160 pounds, and she looks amazing. But in order to accomplish her wellness goals, she had to stop drinking the way she used to. Hell, in order to be a good mommy & wife she had to stop. If you listen to the lyrics of virtually every one of her songs, it’s not hard to figure out how integral the role of alcohol was in her daily life & performances. More than 2 years & a shit-ton of pounds later, her tolerance ain’t what it used ‘ta be. She was back stage with every musician who had already performed, waiting for her turn to grace the stage, having a few drinks like the good ‘ol days. It took a lot less alcohol than she was anticipating to reach “too much.” She made a mistake. But she’s human. She’s a human woman, a mom, a wife, an insanely talented musician, and she made a mistake. It wasn’t even that big of a mistake. People who demanded a total refund for their tickets because of a couple of swear words at the end of the night should be lined up & bitch slapped. I know they think that it was an insult to Dolly Parton to mess up the lyrics of one of her songs at her birthday party…….but, just a little reminder, Dolly Parton wasn’t even there. She wasn’t at her birthday party. If anything was insulting about that show, it was that The Grand ‘ol Opry charged people $300 per ticket to watch other people sing Dolly’s songs, on her birthday, at a birthday party she wasn’t even in attendance for, and none of that money went to her at all. If Dolly is going to be pissed about anything, that should be it. I respect her immensely for protecting Elle. Dolly Parton is an American treasure.❤